nationwide communications infrastructure specialist has been leaning on its robust supply chain to provide critical Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for fi eld service engineers amidst the Coronavirus pandemic. The vital supplies have ensured that important engineering works have been

able to go ahead throughout the past few weeks as millions more people rely on digital networks to work and learn from home. CHH CoNeX has provided more than 200,000 face masks and hundreds of thousands of bottles of hand sanitizer to field service engineers across the UK. In addition to protecting the company’s own small team of engineers, the equipment has also been donated to other businesses involved in the supply, installation and maintenance of telecommunications networks, in addition to key workers in telecommunications, warehousing, kitting, marshalling, logistics and final mile delivery. An increased percentage of the UK’s working population has been operating from home throughout the past month. This, together with school closures encouraging

parents to teach children at home through digital services, has put an unprecedented strain on the country’s digital network. CHH CoNeX’s provision of essential PPE has ensured that key maintenance engineers have been able to carry out essential telecommunications work to keep the country connected throughout this time. Tim Hughes, managing director at Birmingham-based CHH CoNeX, explained: “We took the decision very early on to leverage our supply chain and access tonnes of PPE equipment to ensure that CHH and our partners can continue to deliver critical infrastructure services throughout the lockdown period. We take supply chain planning very seriously and it is only through a robust, flexible and proven supply chain that we were able to procure

and supply such a large scale of PPE. We took a risk in paying up front for materials to reserve allocation before the goods had even come into our supplier, but the trust we have in our supply chain partners and the collaboration within meant we were able to take delivery of the equipment early on, as soon as it was available. We then made an effort to supply the equipment free of charge to other field service partners that would benefit.

“The rules in our industry are quite simple. Without the right PPE, engineers cannot do their job. We knew we would have to lean on our supply chain to keep essential services running throughout lockdown and beyond.”

The equipment travelled even further than CHH CoNeX first envisaged, with its partners passing on provision throughout the supply chain to utilities companies and other key workers, ensuring that Britain continues to keep essential services running even during the most challenging times.

British cyber company signs deal to supply 50 million Covid-19 digital health passports

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nternational Digital Health Technology fi rm Circle Pass Enterprises (CPE) has signed a deal with VST Enterprises Ltd (VSTE), the British cyber security company founded by tech entrepreneur Louis-James Davis, to integrate its state-of-the-art VCode and VPlatform technologies into the COVI-PASS Digital Health Passport.

PASS, to be paired with approved testing kits. CPE is to start shipping orders from next week for the fi rst phased release of 50M COVI-PASS Digital Health Passports to both the private sector and Governments in over 15 countries, including Italy, Portugal, France, Panama, India, the US, Canada, Sweden, Spain, South Africa, Mexico, United Arab Emirates and The Netherlands.

The COVI-PASS Digital Health Passport works on an intelligent colour mapping system (green, amber, red) to authenticate and

validate a COVID-19 test providing test history and relevant health information. This allows for accurate data metrics to assess those who have tested positive and negative and the location only of their testing. The COVI-PASS Digital Health Passport can be used as an authenticated gateway for Public Services, Businesses and Employees to manage a safe return to work, life, and safe travel.

Commenting on the deal VST Enterprises CEO Louis-James Davis

said: “We are delighted to be working with CPE. We fi rmly believe that the digital Health

Passport alongside Government approved testing kits is the key to removing the lockdown restrictions in a gradual and controlled way. The current technology being trialled using Bluetooth and proximity apps is fundamentally fl awed because of its privacy issues of real time tracking, the security and data breaches which we are already seeing and being reported and the reticence for citizens to uptake and download the tracing app.” The Manchester based company are also in advanced discussions with senior UK Government offi cials, NHSX the technology arm of the NHS and the Home Offi ce about its cyber security technology.

Densitron becomes alliance partner with Panasonic IT/IP platform D

ensitron, a creator of HMI technologies and a global leader in display, monitor, and embedded computing solutions, announced that it has become an alliance partner with Panasonic IT/IP Platform.

Panasonic has chosen Densitron’s new UReadyTM Touch Control Surface with Embedded Ethernet to be used as an AUX monitor. The control surface offers an ultra-high performance display, proprietary transparent tactile-touch buttons, and TCP/ IP connection in a 2RU form factor.

6 May 2020

Densitron global business development director, Chris Goodhall said, “This announcement confirms that Panasonic has a cutting-edge monitoring and control solution that Densitron control and

Components in Electronics

monitoring technologies can be used for its newly released IT/IP platform.” Founded over 50 years ago in Japan, Densitron still maintains its strong presence there and has since become a global company.

It provides innovative control surfaces and systems to a wide range of industries. Densitron managing director Simon Jones said, “We are delighted to formally announce our partnership with Panasonic.”